Screw holding screw driver



Nov. 27, 1951 J. WOLNY SCREW HOLDING SCREW DRIVER Filed NOV. 20, 1947 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCREW HOLDING SCREW DRIVER Joseph Wolny, Boulder, 0010.

Application November 20, 1947, Serial No. 787,094

2 Claims.

This invention relates to screw driver construction, the primary object of the invention being to provide a screw driver having screw engaging jaws which may be brought into clamping relation with a screw, whereby the screw will be firmly gripped and held, preventing slipping of the screw driver from the screw to distort the screw driver slot of the screw.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby a screw to be positioned, may be readily secured in position on the screw driver, the screw being held by the screw driver when positioning the screw in a restricted area where it is impossible to hold the screw with one hand While the screw driver is being operated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a gripping member wherein one jaw thereof is wider than the adjacent jaw thereby adapting the screw gripping jaws for use in gripping the head of a screw wherein a portion of th head has been broken off.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawing: V

Figure l is an elevational view of a screw driver equipped with a screw gripping means, constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof, a portion of one of the gripping jaws having been broken away.

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the pivoted arm carried by the gripping jaws for preventing displacement of the screw driver blade with respect to the screw, during the act of setting the screw.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference character 5 indicates a screw driver shank and the reference character 6 indicates the blade formed at the lower end of the shank.

Positioned on the shank 5 of the screw driver, is a sleeve 1 which is formed with external threads, the sleeve being secured against movement longitudinally of the shank 5, by means of the collar 8 which is secured on the shank 5 and against which one end of the sleeve engages, the sleeve being provided with wings 9, whereby the sleeve may be rotated on the shank 5.

The reference character I 0 indicates the attachment which embodies a head ll formed with a threaded opening cooperating with the threads of the sleeve 1 in moving the attachment longitudinally of the sleeve to cause the jaws I2 thereof to grip the screw which is being rotated by the screw driver.

The jaws l2 are formed at the free ends of the yieldable arms l3, the jaws being extended inwardly towards each other and formed with curved inner edges I4 that fit around the curved surface of the screw. Thus it will be seen that due to this construction, the jaws l2 may be moved to closely engage that portion of the head of the screw that merges with the shank or threaded portion of the screw, as clearly shown by Fig. 1 of the drawing. It will, of course, be understood that the action of the jaws will be to draw the screw,which in the present showing is indicated by the reference character [5, into close engagement with the driver blade 6, where the screw will be firmly secured and held to the blade to permit the positioning of the screw in restricted areas, wherein it is impossible to hold the screw in its proper position with the fingers of one hand while the screw driver is being -operated, to set the screw with the other hand.

In order that the blade 6 will be held against displacement with respect to the screw driver blade slot of the screw, a pivotal arm I6 is provided, which arm is secured to the inner surface of one of the jaws l3, the free end of the arm being extended inwardly at right angles, providing the stop H, the stop I! being formed with an upstanding flange I8 adapted to bear against the inner surface of the opposite jaw.

As shown by Fig. 1 of the drawing, this stop I! is formed with a slot l9 extending inwardly from a side edge thereof, the slot being so arranged that it will align with the usual screw driver slot of the screw, so that the blade of the screw driver may be extended therethrough and held in position under the screw driver slot of the screw, by the stop II.

This stop I! is thicker at one side of the stop I! than the other, with the result that the thick portion of the stop may be positioned against a mutilated screw head,.that is wherein one portion of the screw head has become disconnected from the screw by excessive pressure having been directed to the screw head. By positioning the thick portion of the stop I! over the recess formed by the mutilation of the screw head, in such a way that when the screw driver is being rotated to remove the screw, the screw driver blade will be held in close engagement with the walls of the slot of the screw and be prevented from slipping.

In order that the jaws 12 may be moved inwardly towards each other to clamp a screw at the head of the screw, a band 20 is provided, which band encircles the mutilated arms, to the end that when the band is moved upwardly to the dotted line position as shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings, the arms'and jaws are free to flex outwardly, butwhenit'isdesired to' move the jaws 12 into gripping relation with a screw head, the band 20 may be moved to the position shown infull lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, therebydraw ing the arms inwardly to cause the gripping of the screws. Finger pieces 21 are formed inthe band 20 so that the band..may. be/readily. and

easily operated as described."

In the use of the device the jaws l2 .arepositioned under the head ofiia screw to be positioned, and the band 20 is moved downwardly-forcing: the jaws intoclose; engagement. -.with the head ofthe screwto hold the head of the screw while, it is-being positioned. It will'of course, beunderstood that the. driver'blade 6 is forced downwardlyinto thescrew driverslotof: the screw head and is held in place by rotating the sleeve"? against the collar 8-. With v'thissstruc-tu-re .there: isno danger of the screw falling from: the screw driver; regard-- less f. the pressurewhich may be required to position. the screw inLa restricted area.

Should-it-b'e necessary-to remove the screw after one-half of the head has been broken off, as frequently happens whenexcessivepressure. is directedrto a screw head, the pivotedarm I-E- may beswungiromthe-position shown. by Fig. 2.-.of the drawing, to the position shown by Fig. 1, wherein ther-thickenedportion; of. the stop: [1 fits into :the space from; which the brokensectionot therheaid of :the screwhasbeenv removed, theedge of. the slot [-91 providing: the side. of the screw driver. slot" of the.head which has-.beenbroken off, to. the end that the screw may: now be rotated to: removethe screw.

From the foregoing-itv will be seenthatdue. to

a the construction shown and described, I haveprovided: ascrew driver having. means. whereby a screw may be positioned orremoved, may be gripped by the screw driver in such a way that. the shank of the screw driver will not slip or slide from-thescrew head when the. screw driver is .beingrotatedto accomplish its purpose. Itwill further be seen thatlhave provided a screwholder which may be readily-securedto the screw driver and heldin positioniwhile. the screwdriver is being used to set thescrewin arestrictedarea.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

. 1. In a screw driver, a shank having a blade at one end thereof, a screw gripping member including yieldable arms, slidably mounted on the shank, opposed screw gripping jaws at the free ends of the arms, means for moving the screw gripping members longitudinally of the shank, an arm pivotally secured to the inner surface of one of said yieldableiarms, one end of the pivoted arm being extended laterally'over said jaws for engagement with the upper surface of a screw head, cooperating with the screw gripping arms in clampin thezscrew head, said end of the pivoted arm having, a slot disposed inwardly from one edge thereof, through which the blade of the screw. driver. extends; whereby the screw driver blade is held within the slot of the screw held between the jaws.

2. In a screw driver, a -shank having a blade at oneflend thereof; a screw gripping member including yieldable: arms slidably mounted on the shank, opposed screw gripping: jaws; at the-free ends 'ofthe. arms, anarm pivotally secured :to the inner surface of one; ofIsaid .yieldablearms, one end of thepivoted arm extending laterally oven-'- lying: saidjaws'for engagement with the. upper surface of a screw head;..said laterally extended end: of the-pivoted: arm having a slot through whichtheoscrew driver shank extends-engaging the. screw: hea-dfheld betweenqtheij aws, and being thicker" at Zone sideofi theaslot. than. at the opposite side. thereof, the: thick portion.ofthelaterallyex tending end.- providing: the. side of a screwdriver. slot of abroken screwyagainst:whichithelaterally extended: end 1 is positioned: whereby said .screw driver shank. and :broken screw held betweenstiie jaws, arerotated as: the screw driver ierQtated.

rosEBHwoI-mn RIJFERENC.ES.v CITED The-following references areof record iii-the fil'eof this patent: 

